Present vertical magnetic random access memory (MRAM) devices comprise a 2 D array of magnetic memory elements. The magnetic memory elements typically include many layers of magnetic and non-magnetic/electrically conductive materials. Electrical current through an associated word line is used to produce a radial magnetic field around the magnetic element to facilitate the switching (or reverse) of the magnetization of a soft (or “free”) magnetic layer of the memory element. As much as several milliAmperes of current is typically required to flip the magnetization of the free layer. In addition, when addressing a particular magnetic memory element in the array, the other memory elements in the same row and/or column experience one half of the magnetic field used to flip the particular memory element. These other elements are sometimes referred to as the so-called “half-select” elements, and this is not a desirable condition because it may lead to errors in reading the stored data as well as practical limitations in down size scaling.